I'm tempted to do AG

[yashicamat]

You've not mentioned the ball valve or associated bits, nor the taps/fittings for the HLT.

I would pop down to the local hardware shop (or possibly plumber's merchants) and find out what hole size you need for your ball valve too. To be perfectly honest though, a black-top drum tap will probably be good enough for your purposes and cheaper, either that or the orange tap that's up for grabs.

I wouldn't fret too much about getting EVERYTHING on the first outing, give yourself plenty of time and don't try and rush into your first AG day with semi-bodged DIY equipment. Unless you're in a remote hamlet (which Wolverhampton wasn't the last time I checked ) you should be able to source anything else you need locally without the need to even get transport I should think.

[Benson_JV]

Okay thanks yashicamat, its just my mum wanted me to do a full shopping list to see how much it'd cost.
suppose i can give her a slightly under-par expectancy of the cost.

[farmhousekeg]

Ermmmmmm just wondering if your mum saw the chief medical officer's statement today about alcohol comsumption by youngsters at home

[Benson_JV]

Probally Not I dont really drink 3 - 4 litres of white storm per night, maybe a pint every other night or so

[farmhousekeg]

Probally Not I dont really drink 3 - 4 litres of white storm per night, maybe a pint every other night or so

Good lad. Hopefully your AG hobby will give you a feeling for true quality rather than quantity!! Leave the chavs to enjoy their White Lightning and Fosters!

[Benson_JV]

Ah even kit brewing has gotten me far more into quality rather than quantity, although i'd still quite like both

Roughly then how much would the copper be? I'm ordering the mash tun tonight, but i want to know how much it's going to cost for the false bottom & immersion chiller

[yashicamat]

Ah even kit brewing has gotten me far more into quality rather than quantity, although i'd still quite like both

Roughly then how much would the copper be? I'm ordering the mash tun tonight, but i want to know how much it's going to cost for the false bottom & immersion chiller

If you get the copper for the IC from a plumber's merchants, you should be able to get 10m (it comes in rolls of 10m or I think 18m too - probably larger quantities too) for about £14 or so. If you know a plumber, it's worth getting hold of an 8mm pipe bender (assuming you're going for 8mm pipe) as it'll make forming the bends at the base and top of the coil a lot easier, plus prevent you from wrecking the coil by kinking the metal. You might already have one of course.

Not sure on the false bottom parts though . . .

[Benson_JV]

Okay thanks mate! I don't have a pipe bender and i dont know any one who does. Is it to dangerous (to the health of the IC) to bend it around a fire extinguisher or similar?

[Benson_JV]

I'll make sure to get that stuff then
Thanks Chris

It's all coming together slowly Very slowly..

[Benson_JV]

The update.

My dad is royally p*ssing me off
He wants to do it via stove top. As in : Linky

Whereas i want to do it as previously mentioned, FV Mash Tun, FV boiler with elements.

So whats the argument for either side?

[yashicamat]

The update.

My dad is royally p*ssing me off
He wants to do it via stove top. As in : Linky

Whereas i want to do it as previously mentioned, FV Mash Tun, FV boiler with elements.

So whats the argument for either side?

A boiler will be probably cheaper to start off with (large stockpots are not cheap), a stockpot won't have any kind of hop filter unless you make one and fit it (in which case you'll render the pot useless pretty much for anything other than brewing) and to top that off, it's a less efficient way of transferring heat into the wort. If you're using an electric hob it's not so much of an issue as the electric cost might be £2 per brew as opposed to less than £1, but if you're using gas then it'll cost quite a bit (and will cost even more in the future as gas prices rise).

On the flipside, if you use hopbags you can boil successfully in a stockpot without the need for a hop filter or taps in the pot, then siphon the wort out. I did this for AG#1. It isn't ideal though, but if you want to progress and your father refuses the electric solution, then it's a case of any old port in a storm.

Out of interest, has he justified what he has against the electric boiler route?

[Benson_JV]

Top notch, thanks yashicamat! Quick reply to boot.

What he said about the electric route is its "2nd rate" and that using kettle elements isn't safe? Even though as long as every thing is properly insulated and proper kettle leads are used, i cant see why not. Apart from possibly blowing the main ring, which even so is only a fuse flick away to being back

[yashicamat]

I wouldn't advocate the use of kettle elements unless you're competant (and confident) in fitting them and using them. They *should* be perfectly safe, but you need to make sure you get a big enough boiler to prevent boilovers as you don't want liquids running onto an unprotected connection. I personally don't really see any risk with using kettle elements as I do myself in my HLT, but if your father is very concerned you could always buy the "official" homebrew elements. They're just a bit more expensive (although I do think better suited to a boiler as the elements are spaced out more and therefore easier to clean).

As for it being 2nd rate, well I think you'll find many (if not most) of those on here use electric element based boilers. They are the most practical and efficient generally for UK homebrewers (not the case in the US so much as the 110v supply means that it's a lot harder to achieve the same wattage on a typical domestic circuit, plus gas is cheaper in the US) plus electric based equipment is quite cheap. It's not controllable in the same way as gas and with a dedicated burner, gas is probably the more powerful option, but you're talking quite a bit of money then.

If it's any help, I had big reservations about using electric (I too wanted to keep it a hob-top setup), but in the end I've discovered no pitfalls to date (touchwood) plus the bills are cheaper.

[Benson_JV]

Thanks yashicamat, hopefully he'll understand now. I reckon im suited to fit the bog standard elements. I've done work with electrical's in the past (Another hobby of mine is vintage game consoles, i've modded a fair few Atari ST's without many instructions ) So i think i'm upto it.

I think it being cheaper might help him decide (we're strapped for cash) Here he comes now, i'm going to show him your post

Edit: Even after reading this thread and others. He's being a fecking muppet. I've had enough, i'll stick with kits until i get my own place.

[boingy]

Yash, are you sure that boiling in an indoor electric boiler is cheaper for energy than an indoor gas cooker (assuming the gas is mains gas)?

I've no doubt that using bottled calor gas is more expensive and anyone boiling outdoors will be wasting lots of heat energy but I'm pretty sure my energy costs have decreased since I switched to a big pot on the gas cooker.